Kiwi-bred three-year-old Beau Dazzler has flagged his staying ability with a strong victory in the Gr.3 Grand Prix Stakes (1800m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday for trainers Tony & Maddysen Sears.
The son of Ardrossan was the winner of the Listed Phelan Ready Stakes (1000m) as a juvenile and performed with credit when crossing the Tasman to finish seventh in the Karaka Million 2YO (1200m) when closing well.
The gelding again ran meritoriously and without luck when fourth in the Listed Phoenix Stakes (1500m) and fifth in the Gr..1 JJ Atkins Stakes (1600m) through the Queensland Winter Carnival, but all indicators are Beau Dazzler will appreciate getting out further in trip.
Now in his Classic season, Beau Dazzler overcame the inside draw on the deteriorating Heavy 8 surface under a well-plotted Jag Guthmann-Chester ride and relished the tempo added by eventual fourth Apuntar to power to a three-length win from Sun Worshipper with Madame Lexis third.
“He has always shown us a lot but he is a very tricky horse,” Maddy Sears said.
“He is not an easy horse to do things with and I do have to make mention of James who rides him every day as he is very naughty, but we thought he was a very good chance today.
“We bought him as a Derby-style of horse, and we didn’t think the distance would be any problem whatsoever and when the rain came in it was almost like a 2000m race with how heavy it was.
“His ability prevailed, and it was a great ride by Jag. He drew barrier one, but he kept him off the fence and he just speared through and put them away.”
Sears said Guthmann-Chester was an underrated rider.
“He is very strong and he vary rarely does things wrong on horses and he got the job done today,” she said.
With a Gr.1 Queensland Derby (2400m) campaign the focus through the winter, Beau Dazzler is likely to have one more run this campaign.
“I believe there is a 2000m race in two weeks’ time that he will run in and then we will put him away and I think he will be a force to be reckoned with in the Queensland Derby,” Sears said.
“Paul Moroney and Catheryne Bruggeman bought him for us in New Zealand and we have had a lot of luck in those colours with Melvin (Foo) and Suat (Wee). He was obviously a stakes winner as a two-year-old and now he has gone on to do it as a three-year-old, so who knows what the future holds but he is a horse that keeps on improving.
“He is a very cool horse and I think there is a lot more in-store for him.”
Beau Dazzler was offered by Mapperley Stud in Book 2 of Karaka 2023, where he was bought for $85,000. Bred by the Dewar Partnership, Beau Dazzler is by Waikato Stud’s promising young sire Ardrossan out of the Pentire mare Pwerfect, who comes from the family of northern hemisphere Group One stars such as Fame And Glory and Legatissimo.
Beau Dazzler’s juvenile younger full-brother Toretto is an early qualifier for next year’s Karaka Million 2YO (1200m), having prevailed at Ellerslie a fortnight ago for Hollie Wynyard, while another full-brother will be offered as Lot 228 from the draft of Elsdon Park at next month’s New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sales. – NZ Racing Desk
